Forestay replacement

[ukrsindicat]

I am looking to replace my forestay(and eventually, the rest of the rigging)
that has busted strands.

I live in Florida(NW), so I am eyeing the 316 stainless due to its corrosion
resistant qualities.

Should I convert to metric rigging since metric becomes more prevalent
(supposedly)?

I lean towards using 316 9x19 cable 1/4". My original rigging is 7/32, but I
thought about beefing up my rigging just in case I decide to cross the small
pond(Gulf of Mexico). For /Against?

Yuriy
Godiva
'68 Newport 30 (MK I)

[SVCarolena]

Strongly suggest you consult with a rigger. Steve Smith (Knothead here on SN) at SSMR rigging in St. Petersburg is a great resource. He walked us through the process to measure ourselves, discussed all the options, made up all our new wires and fittings, and walked us through the process to replace them ourselves. Here is a link to a writeup I did about the experience: http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...es-review.html

[mitiempo]

Agreed, and you don't want to change to metric.

[jjablonowski]

Two lessons recently learned while re-rigging:

1. If you have a furler, it complicates replacing forestay. Some furler foils require you end-splice (rather than just tie) a lightweight messenger line. Other foils (like the Schaeffer Snapfurl) have such small IDs that only a bare wire will fit through, but a swaged stud won't.

2. Purchasing pre-made stays---made to published length spec---is convenient. Don't assume, however, that the old stay you're replacing was made to spec. Measure!